Wednesday, 14 August 2013

A New Career?

Well, I don't know; but this song lyric-writing business, though intermittent (as such activities tend to be), is becoming quite significant in my life.

I have now been involved with the co-writing of lyrics for three songs – two jointly with the songs' author, and just yesterday I did the whole job. I was guided where the single instrument backing track I was using for guidance perhaps had me a little uncertain, and I added extra material or needed a few more syllables in one case: I didn't have a clue about the melody line.

It was actually quite a challenge, especially as I was in effect telling someone else's (the song's composer) real life story of something that happens to him regularly. There were guidance notes (one medium-length paragraph) but I already knew the story well. I didn't even need to check it, I know it so well and so vividly.

I felt that I was the catalyst for putting it all into good English, but (hopefully) still artistic, and I treated the task (that came out of nowhere, without warning, as usual!) as a great responsibility. I repeatedly played the backing track in parts, until I was reasonably confident that I knew how many beats/syllables each line needed, which other notes did not need words, and some sense of how it was going to be structured and fit together in the final production.

When I wasn't sure I asked the composer – but he had to go out for a while when something unexpected happened (typical of real life!) so I battled on and had a more-or-less finished product by the time he returned.

In fact, there was so much that I felt needed to be included that I had an extra eight-line verse – but he liked it so much that he is thinking of adding the necessary additional material to the backing and melody to accommodate these lines. Otherwise, the verse will be kept on file for later use, he said.

When it is finished, I shall of course embed it here, so you can judge for yourself. ADDENDUM: this could be a couple of weeks away, as it is a very complex piece to put together. I wish I could assist, but from now on with this one, I have to take a back seat and just wait...

Beyond this project, with which I am well pleased, I can see this becoming a new part-time career for me!